Norrath Burning
by Raziel
Summary: Norrath is in flames, here in lies the turning of life into smoldering ash.


Norrath Burning  
  
It is said that a bixie flapping its wings in Freeport can cause a storm in Kelethin. Who knows what a blazing pyre could start. –Great Wizard Sorcerer  
Al'Kabor  
  
Chapter 1  
Consummation in Flame  
  
The oasis of Marr was in rare downfall of rain that night, cold and driving, it shoved heavily upon their cloaked figures upon the desert basin. It was by anyone's account a terrible storm, but it did not deter the explorers from their goal. One broke off from the group and kneeled down beside a tablet just barely peaking out of the sand.  
  
The shrouded explorer brought back the hood of her cloak to get a better view of the tablet. The young dark elf girl turned to her companions, and gave them a silent nod. Yes, this was the place. Her companions removed their cloaks as well and readied their weapons in preparation for what was sure to a heavy ordeal. A leather clad half ling offset a tall wood elf boy adorned in a tinted steel breastplate over chain mail.  
  
Mana flickered and gathered, briefly encompassing the girl's hands as she began a small chant into the winds. Her soft soprano carried amazingly well amongst the storm boiling around them, it was as if the elements did not wish to disturb such beauty.  
  
Something however did not seem to care, a low rumbling grew in front of them, growing more and more intense. The boy, who had been unconsciously fiddling with a scar upon his right forearm, brought his sword Lady Vivamus to the ready. It was for naught this time, the rumbling ceased as the massive marble Quantain -doors, long buried underneath the sand, finished opening before them.  
  
"You're are so jittery Jaison. You are going to worry yourself to death." She giggled  
  
"You can never be to cautious, Luclin" he answered, fiddling with the scar again.  
  
"If youse two don't quit talking and let me get out of the rain. I'LL be the death of youse" Azguz grumbled  
  
His companions gave him a look of slight annoyance, but complied nonetheless. As they moved inside of this hall buried beneath the Oasis, it was a minor pleasure to them that they were the first to set foot upon the ancient city in countless generations. The entire Elven City was theirs for the taking, artifacts from when the 3 Elven tribes were as one race, this city was their legacy. Takish-Hiz. Unfortunately, glory and treasure was not the trio's the aim. Their goal was The Record, an item that could store years upon years of knowledge; all elven cities and outpost had one such even in this day. In fact it was here in Takish-Hiz that the custom was started. Within the pages of The Record, it was hoped that the tale of the cities final days was held, and with it a way to prevent a similar fate that befell Takish-Hiz from happening again.  
  
The pitch-blackness inside the buried ruins gave away easily to the gentle light of their Wisp stones. Loose sand compacted and crushed into sandstone interwove freely with the once immaculate walls and structures. As they ventured down into the harshly downward sloped city, a fragile dome ceiling of rock was all that stood between them and the tons of desert waiting anxiously to encompass them.  
  
"This is going to take a long time" Jaison grunted, unhooking some gnomish climbing tackle.  
  
"Shouldn't. Catch me!" and she promptly fell into his arms giggling playfully "The Record should be still in the city center fortress, give or take a little area for the sharp slant in this section" she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hopped to her feet.  
  
Azguz already several feet ahead of them looked back and grumbled silently at the spectacle "Bloody lovebirds...ones as smitten as a puppy and the other is a dense as a block of irrrr-ah!!"  
  
The aging floor gave way  
  
"AZGUZ!!!"  
  
It was already too late for them to do anything but watch as their friend disappeared into a very deep hole, Azguz spitting curses and indecencies all the way down, crashing with a loud thunk when hitting bottom.  
  
"Azguz! You all right?!" Jaison called down  
  
"ALL RIGHT!?! I'm AT THE BOTTOM of a BLOODY HOLE!!!! YOU STUPID –"  
  
"Yep, he's alright" He said aside to Luclin, then calling back down "Just a moment, I'll toss a rope down to you!"  
  
"Don't bother! First, I want to get away from you two. All this lovey dovy all the time!! Rent an inn why don't you!!!! Second, there's cavern down here that leads on ahead, its dimly lighted. From the looks of things, it may be a path to the city center, that being the only place that should still have a source of light burning after all this time."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes, git going!" and with more grumbling Azguz faded out of earshot.  
  
"Let's get going then."  
  
The ethereal light from their wisp stones danced and played across the ruins of the city, teasing and tumbling with the encroaching darkness as they moved forward. The complete blackness just beyond the lights reach caused Luclin to shudder as memories of here birth home went through her mind. She despised Neriak so, it was mucky and always so infernally dark and even her great night vision could pierce through a darkness as total as this. It eventual became too much for her and she just had to do something to lighten the mood.  
  
Shifted the sword at her hip back some, she un strapped the wooden Mandolin upon her back and tweaked it strings as they moved along. Strumming one note..then another then another gently without rush she began to play an easy melody, after a few moments she bean to whistle a separate tune which while a gentle tune in itself didn't truly match the mandolin tune in rhythm or beat...yet they fit perfectly together nonetheless.  
  
The prancing melodies had the desired effect, the darkness didn't seem so dark or unbearable any more, their pace quickened and it wasn't long at all until they where standing before a massive building that was in amazingly good condition, the city center the 'town hall' of sorts. Even though Azguz had informed them, that he had seen a light ahead in the tunnel, it was startling and odd to find this ancient ruin still lighted and well lighted ontop of that.  
  
However when the entered the building, it wasn't so startling after all, the lights where of recent design, their where others here. The obvious question now was, where are they now and what are their intentions. That too became clear as a tiny fiery imp no higher then 2 feet tall scurried about in front of them in the distance, with apparent unconcern for them being there.  
  
Jaison and Luclin followed the imp as it meandered around the building, not that the needed to, the little imp left burn marks with every step upon the floor, making it simple to follow. Impossible as it seemed, the Imp lead them into room which seemed even more massive then the building they where inside of and in the center of the room was an ornate couch. Upon the couch was a naked elven woman with sky blue skin and hair of silver. With her arms crossed upon her chest, she stared bored at the flurry of imps and other minor demons ransacking the building.  
  
Lady Vivamus flew to the ready as Jaison growled out loudly "JINNN!!" Jinn still very bored, looked without care to this voice and smiled widely when she say Jaison at the entrance.  
  
"Jaison, I was wondering when you would come." She giggled "You have no idea how much, I have been waiting for you. Now that you are so much stronger." She said holding herself seductively "It's time for you to join us and to join with me" She grinned playfully  
  
"Like hell! Undo what you did to me Jinn!!"  
  
Jinn looked hurt, her lips pouting " Why? Don't tell me you enjoyed being the way you were, weak, small overlooked and unwanted. Now looked what you have been given, strength power beyond your dreams! You even have that cheap bard wench to please you."  
  
Luclin in a fuming rage charged forward her rapier ready to strike. "CHEAP WENCH!! WHO ARE YOU -mRFH" Her words cutoff as Jaison wrapped his hand around her mouth and pulled Luclin back behind him.  
  
"You could have any female you wanted now Jaison, even me" she grinned puffing out her chest.  
  
"I don't want you nor would I ever!" Jaison winced as the scar on his arm itched and burned. " You undo what you did to me and then go home to your master like the lack you are!"  
  
"Lacky!?!" it was Jinn's turn to fume, her eyes alit with fire. She leapt to her feet, a long sword materializing in her hand. A cloud of sharp pungent sulfur was all that remained of her, there was a sharp clatter as Jaison whirled in a 180 executing a perfect parry unto disarm. The night- flame blade tinkled upon the stone marble floors and flared out of existence. The razor point of Lady Vivamus rest upon Jinn's throat, despite being completely at Jaison's mercy, she was visibly aroused by Jaison's obvious increase in skill since their last encounter.  
  
She ran her moist tongue across her lips and breathed deeply expanding her chest. "oh Jaison, I knew I was right about you." She stroked her hand along the upper side of the blade. "You see what the Burning Night has to offer, join us..join with me" Moving carefully, she stepped away from Lady Vivamus and wrapped herself around Jaison, kissing him with all the passion and fire within her.  
  
He struck her hard across the face, she stumbled backwards but remained upright.  
  
"I told you before and I'll tell you again! I won't join the Burning Night anymore then I would join the Tunare Legions!. " He was nearly bordering on screaming now, Lady Vivamus quaked slightly in his hand, in tune to the tiny, but noticeable pulsing taking place along his scar.  
  
"Now you damn devil! Take back what you did to me!!"  
  
Jinn frowned obviously disappointed. "You're still trying to defy what's racing inside your veins, trying to deny the hunger growing with your belly. It'' time you satiated your hunger! LORD NAGAFEN!! COME TO ME!! FULFILL OUR AGREEMENT!!"  
  
Another waft of sulfur and Jinn was gone, along with her imp slaves. It was deathly dark in that chamber, but light returned quickly as Lady Vox's possessed lover appeared in a wave of heat. Completely dumbstruck by the turn of events, Jaison and Luclin simply could not move as Lord Nagafen opened his maw and cast forth a torrent of flame.  
  
There was a flashing blur, the flame cut short as Lord Nagafen recoiled from the strike of throwing axe .  
  
"Doan stan thar like a buncha bloody idiots!! " grumbled a voice loudly  
  
"Azguz!!" Jaison cried overjoyed  
  
"Who els!?" Azguz charged out from the shadows near Nagafen's side, his favorite axe in hand. "Use Laedi Vox's tooth like she told youse too! Daaamn ki- TAARNAAATION!!" Azguz shouted barely leaping away from a stream of flame coming from an agitated Nagefen. "AH!! You blooody Dragon!! My well groomed foot hair!!! You singed mee bloody hair you ----" his language degrading into full dwarish for long lyrical curses.  
  
While Nagafen was distracted with the ever cursing Azguz, Jaison ransacked his belt pouch for Lady Vox's 'tooth', as a Dragon of ice she could extinguish the fire boiling within her mate, it was not a decision she had rendered lightly. His hands encompassed the frigid object, it was small, not much bigger then a throwing dagger. Nagafen was still chasing Azguz, every few seconds he found raise his immense head to cast flame upon Azguzz...yes there was the heart. The 'tooth' flew straight and true, it pierced the scaly hide of Nagafen and bit deeply. Nagafen roared loudly maddened with the rage of the Burning Night and to much to the trio's surprise a small bit of steam misted from the wound, Nagafen was still very much alive.  
  
"Tis is wot we geeet fer trusting a bloody drago-" Azguz flew across the room, careened through a wall after being propelled by Nagafen's tail.  
  
"AZGUZZ!!"  
  
Nagafen whirled back small bits of flames hissed and crackled from his toothed maw. The ancient dragon's chest expanded filling with sundering torrent, then staring into the eyes of Luclin exhaled.  
  
Without a moment's hesitation, Jaison placed him self between Luclin and the inferno, yet the expected end never came. A gentle melody from Luclin's lute danced through the air, seemingly wrapping around the two adventurers and so shielded them from demise. The fire deflected off the melody and streamed into the surrounding walls rendering them into ash.  
  
Nagafen roared in bitter anger, his rage fueling his fire unto even greater heat, the melody of fire warding stood fast nonetheless. Slowly Luclin began to sing an upbeat journeyman's tune, Jaison's heart upon listening began to quicken, his eyesight sharpened. He saw a chance, and took the opening. A split second lapse between bursts of fire from Nagafen's maw lay before him, empowered by the journeyman's tune he shot forward and Lady Vivamus struck home.  
  
Fire and blood coursed freely from the gaping hole Lady Vivamus lay down. Yanking Vivamus from Nagafen's jaw hot blood splashed upon Jaison's right arm. His scar throbbed madly and he let out a battlecry that shook the foundations of the building. Lady Vivamus swift and true separated the head of Ancient Lord Nagafen from his body. Blood washed the halls, the massive body seemingly endless in it's supply of it. In the deepest part of the pool, Jaison so covered that he scarcely recognizable, stood unmoving.  
  
Worried Luclin moved over and wrapped her arms around him "Jaison? Are you alright?" Her eyes went wide as Lady Vivamus pierced her stomach, Jaison looking into her eyes laughed, his own eyes alit.  
  
"Never better Luclin." She did not hear a reply as she felt burning fangs pierce her neck.  
  
------------------ End of Chapter 1 ------------------ 


End file.
